Browseabout Books to host June 18 happy hour with Mary Kay Andrews

Browseabout Books opens its summer lineup of literary guests at 6 p.m., Tuesday, June 18, with the happy hour appearance of one of the most beloved, nationally acclaimed authors, Mary Kay Andrews.

If there were a literary genre dedicated to great beach books, the novels of Mary Kay Andrews would set its standard for excellence. With a slew of New York Times best sellers to her credit, her latest page-turner, "Ladies’ Night," was recently released by St. Martin’s Press.

The book is described by Andrews as a novel about betrayal, divorce, revenge and redemption.

The Browseabout happy hour event replete with drinks and hors d'oeuvres presents an opportunity for fans to be with the author as she reads, speaks, answers questions and signs copies of her books.

"Ladies’ Night" opens just before Grace Stanton’s ideal life as a hugely successful lifestyle blogger becomes derailed.

Grace discovers her husband cheating on her with her 20-something assistant in his $175,000 Audi 2013 Spyder R8 convertible, leading to a series of events that find her assistant running naked through an exclusive gated community screaming to save her life, and her husband admitting to prior acts of infidelity.

Grace gear shifts the swanky convertible into the pool and leaves, only to find that she can’t return, as her husband takes every possible step to ensure she loses everything - her home, bank account, and even access to her lifestyle blog.

Her husband initiates divorce proceedings that set the standard for nasty - gaining the benefit of hiring the best divorce attorney in town and getting a judge who suffers from an inherent hatred of women (especially women attorneys), and Grace finds herself living with her mother in the apartment she grew up in above her family’s funky beachside bar called The Sandbox.

The judge orders Grace, three other women, and one man (included by Andrews to be certain the book wasn't tilted exclusively toward aggrieved wives) to attend mandatory divorce counseling sessions to deal with their anger issues. Walking the fine line between revenge and justice, the group develops unanticipated bonds that extend far beyond their original common link of shared betrayal, and the women shun their unfit therapist to share their own weekly sessions - ladies’ nights at The Sandbox.

At an age where she has witnessed the end of marriages of friends and neighbors, Andrews says the story is one she cares about. “I'm writing from the point of view of those of the betrayed,” she said. “You've got people who are damaged, and damaged people do some pretty crazy things.”

The novel’s sense of authenticity stems from Andrews’ solicitation of personal betrayal and revenge stories from her more than 100,000 Facebook followers. But ultimately, through all the surprising plot twists, Andrews returns to the theme that pervades all of her books - reinvention, revealing what she believes is the ultimate form of revenge - redemption.

“Ultimately, the best revenge is getting on and getting over it,” Andrews said.

Once a journalist, Andrews quit to write novels and raise children. "I had no idea that 22 years later I'd have 19 books on the best-sellers list," she said. "I just wanted to write. That was my passion." Now, Andrews is the author of nine previous novels written under her pen name, and 10 mysteries under her given name, Kathy Hogan Trocheck. "Ladies’ Night" is her 20th book.

Browseabout Books is at 133 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach. More information about the event with Mary Kay Andrews is available at browseaboutbooks.com or by calling 302-226-2665.